These fishes tend to be found on or near the seafloor. This group includes many of the rockfishes and perches.
Density of demersal fishes (MARE data)
A figure showing the abundance of near-bottom dwelling fishes observed from a remotely operated vehicle from 2005 to 2014. Figure credit: MARE.
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Marine Applied Research and Exploration (MARE) data on abundance of demersal fishes along seafloor transects. Fish are counted using remotely operated vehicle (ROV) visual surveys of mid-depth (20 to 80 meters) rock and subtidal soft bottom in CINMS. Fish density was averaged across all monitoring sites, including sites located inside and outside of marine reserves and conservation areas, to examine course-scale trends. From 2005—2009, fish greater in length than 10 centimeters averaged 110 total fish per kilometer of surveyed transect. In 2014, average total fish per kilometer was 279, an increase of 250 percent. At a finer scale, fish density may be responding differently inside and outside of some marine protected areas (MPAs) in CINMS. For more information, consult Figure App.F.13.18 in the CINMS 2016 Condition Report.
A figure showing the abundance of near-bottom dwelling fishes (lingcod, sheephead, gopher rockfish, copper rockfish, and vermillion rockfish), observed from a remotely operated vehicle from 2005 to 2014. Figure credit: MARE.
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Marine Applied Research and Exploration (MARE) data along seafloor transects on abundance of five species of demersal fish, lingcod, sheephead, gopher rockfish, copper rockfish, and vermillion rockfish. Fish density was averaged across all monitoring sites, including sites located inside and outside of marine reserves and conservation areas, to examine course-scale trends. From 2005-2009, the total counts for these five species combined annually averaged 15 total fish per kilometer of surveyed transect. In 2014-2015, average counts per transect rose to 38 and 44 fish, respectively. At a finer scale, fish density may be responding differently inside and outside of some marine protected areas (MPAs) in CINMS. For more information, consult Figure App.F.13.19 in the CINMS 2016 Condition Report.Demersal fishes recent trends (NMFS hook & line survey data)
A table displaying the common and scientific names of species used to identify trends in fishing effort (with one type of fishing, known as fixed gear fishing) in the Southern California Bight from 2009 to 2016. Data source: NMFS NWFSC; Table credit: NOAA.
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Common and scientific names of species selected for calculation of recent trends in CPUE from NMFS NWFSC Hook and Line surveys in the Southern California Bight. Of the more than 50 different species encountered in surveys from 2004—2015, the 15 species that were encountered most often (top 15 ranked species) were selected with the exception of sanddabs and squarespot rockfish, which are not well sampled by this survey method. The trend in annual CPUE was determined for the period 2009—2015 and is shown as increasing (↗), decreasing (↘), or no trend (↔) at the three spatial scales shown in Figure App.F.13.20. Three targeted or protected species were also included: cowcod, canary, and yelloweye rockfish (Note: These species were rarely encountered so observed trends may be misleading). Most strong regional trends (Southern California Bight and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary region) are reflected at the CINMS-level. Regional recovery or recruitment-driven population increases appears to be occurring for several species, including lingcod and bank rockfish. Trends were not strong for some rare species (e.g., cowcod and yelloweye). The CINMS trend was different than the larger sampling area for some species (e.g., bocaccio, chilipepper, and greenspotted rockfish) possibly influenced by depth segregation, effects of the Channel Islands network of MPAs, or regional/site level-effects amplified by low sample sizes. For more information, consult Table App.F.13.2 in the CINMS 2016 Condition Report.
A map showing the location of annual Southern California Shelf Rockfish Hook and Line Surveys in the Southern California Bight. Data source: NMFS NWFSC; Map credit: M. Cajandig/NOAA.
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Location of Southern California Shelf Rockfish Hook and Line Surveys. Annual surveys for reef-associated fish have occurred since 2004 in September and October using 75 hooks per site at depths ranging from 37 to 227 meters. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) per year was calculated for three spatial scales: CINMS included sites within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary boundary (n = 26); CINMS region included sites inside the red box (n = 55); and Southern California Bight included all sites in the sampling program (n = 121). For more information, consult Figure App.F.13.20 in the CINMS 2016 Condition Report.Demersal fishes recent trends (NMFS trawl survey data)
A table displaying the common and scientific names of species used to identify trends in fishing effort (with one type of fishing, known as trawl fishing) in the Southern California Bight from 2009 to 2016. Data source: NMFS NWFSC; Table credit: NOAA.
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Common and scientific names of species selected for calculation of recent trends in CPUE from NMFS NWFSC West Coast Groundfish Bottom Trawl Surveys in the Southern California Bight. Of the more than 247 different species encountered in surveys from 2003 to 2014, the 23 species that were encountered most often were selected. The trend in annual CPUE was determined for the period 2009-2014 and is shown as increasing (↗), decreasing (↘), or no trend (↔) at the three spatial scales shown in Figure App.F.13.21. Yellow highlights the 11 species that appear to be well sampled in trawls at the shallower depths most commonly surveyed inside Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (67 percent of sites in CINMS < 200 meters). These shallower species appear to be stable or increasing in CINMS and the surrounding region. Most species with different short-term trends at the smaller and larger spatial scales are deepwater species not sampled well in shallow water stations in CINMS. For more information, consult Table App.F.13.3 in the CINMS 2016 Condition Report.Map of demersal fish survey locations
A map showing the locations of West Coast Groundfish Bottom Trawl surveys in the Southern California Bight and around point conception from ~2003 to 2014. Data source: NMFS NWFSC; Map credit: M. Cajandig/NOAA.